Construction Disruption

  “There was no playbook for us to follow. It was just a few people sitting in a room trying to map out what the next steps would be. And that’s how we got started, and the rest is history.”  

Brian Kronberg- VP of Development at Brightline, Founder of Amerified 

While American railroads enjoy a rich history of passenger and freight travel, for decades now, the car has dominated. But what about those routes that feel too long to drive but too short to fly? 

Enter Brightline, a Florida-based passenger rail line serving major cities like Orlando and Miami. Determined to offer a comfortable, enjoyable riding experience, they operate as America's sole privately-owned passenger line. 

We spoke with their VP of development, Brian Kronberg, about his experience launching Brightline and the challenge of finding American-made materials that led to the founding of Amerified, a database of products made in the USA. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- How did Brian’s career end up here? 

- Why was Florida a good spot for passenger rail? 

- Using rail systems around the world for inspiration 

- Designing and building stations 

- Demographics of Brightline riders 

- Brightline’s growth plan 

- Unique benefits of a Brightline train 

- Sourcing American-made materials for a major project 

- The development process  

- The inspiration for Amerified 

- How can you use Amerified? 

- Rapid fire questions 

This episode of Construction Disruption is sponsored by TrueLook, the easiest way to view, secure, and document your jobsite. Get your free, no obligation quote at TrueLook.com.

To find routes and schedules, visit gobrightline.com, and to discover a range of products Made in America, visit amerified.io.  

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“It took me a long time to learn that all of those experiences, all of the suffering that we went through, helped to shape how I think about people and what it means to be someone who says, Yeah, okay, I think I can help fix that problem. I can’t solve global poverty, but can I help intervene so that one person doesn’t have to suffer the way they are right now.”

Andrew Olsen, Senior Vice President at DickersonBakker

While we often discuss innovations and ideas in construction, this episode takes a different tack. We’ve featured guest Andrew Olsen on the show before (in Episode 66), but he shares a very personal story this time.

Andrew experienced a life-changing event at a young age that affected his life’s trajectory and inspired him to pursue his current career. As a teenager, his family was broken apart. Andrew was forced to grow up quickly, dealing with poverty and change.

Tune in as Andrew tells his story and how it influences his actions even today.

Topics discussed in this interview:

- Andrew’s story

- Dealing with addiction

- Resources to seek out

- Advice for dealing with trauma

- How family trauma informed Andrew’s approach as a husband and father

- Can you still find God in times of trial?

- How to comfort someone going through a tough time

- Rapid fire questions

Resources Mentioned:

Salvation Army- https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/rehabilitation/

City Gate- https://www.citygatenetwork.org/agrm/Locate_a_Mission.asp

Teen Challenge- https://www.globaltc.org/contact-us/

Reach out to Andrew on LinkedIn, email him at [email protected], or call him at 612-201-1967

This episode of Construction Disruption is sponsored by TrueLook, the easiest way to view, secure, and document your jobsite. Get your free, no obligation quote at TrueLook.com.

For more Construction Disruption, listen on Apple Podcasts or YouTube

Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn

This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“We’re really working toward this end-to-end solution where a contractor can start with their estimate, get to a budget, and then push all that information that they’re gathering during pre-construction out to the field to be able to manage projects more efficiently. So, a holistic sort of solution for our contractor.”

Aaron Henderson, Strategic Sales & Product Marketing at STACK Construction Technologies

We’ve spoken about the delicate relationship between construction and technology with several of our guests, and STACK Construction Technologies has a vision in the same vein. Technological advances have propelled rapid growth in many areas of life and industry and hold tremendous promise for construction.

Aaron Henderson of STACK shares methods for tailoring tech to each customer’s needs and the power of cloud-based software for take-offs and estimating. For many contractors, estimating relies on an old-fashioned approach, with paper forms and "that's how we've always done it."

Transforming the approach to construction starts with estimating for STACK, but they have plans to affect every stage of a project. Tune in for a look at the bright future.

Topics discussed in this interview:

- Remodeling forecast from a Qualified Remodeler webinar

- What does STACK do?

- How did Aaron end up in construction technology?

- Who is the typical user?

- How long does it take to get started?

- How does STACK make technology understandable and usable?

- How does STACK alleviate supply chain issues?

- The advantages of cloud-based services

- How does STACK help with the skilled labor shortage?

- What steps can we take to make construction a desirable career?

- A.I. and future implications for construction

- Embracing change

- Rapid fire questions

Resources Mentioned:

Qualified Remodeler Webinar with Eric Finnegan of John Burns Real Estate Consulting: https://lnkd.in/gtMjhpNw

To get in touch with Aaron, email him at [email protected] or visit stackct.com to learn how to streamline your processes.

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“I love training. I like explaining and answering questions that my clients have and come to me with. It’s helping them structure their system in the way that’s going to give them the end results, the reports that are going to help them run their company more effectively, more efficiently, more profitably.” 

Diane Gilson, President, Trainer, Consultant, Developer, and Author at Info Plus Accounting, Inc. and BuildYourNumbers.com 

Finances are a scary topic for many business owners, a source of stress and headaches. We don’t exactly learn how to run a small business in high school, so we turn to the Internet and finance professionals. But how can you cut through the confusion and take control of your numbers? 

CFO Diane Gilson specializes in empowering small business owners to remain financially secure through growth, market fluctuation, and whatever challenges come along. Listen as Diane shares a CFO’s potential impact on your business and a few tips you can implement immediately. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- Diane’s career path to finance 

- Clearing up finances for small businesses 

- Leveraging a teaching background to educate contractors 

- Subscription-based financial advice 

- Diane’s top financial tip for any small business owner 

- An expert opinion on QuickBooks 

- Choosing new technology carefully 

- Risk management as you grow 

- Using numbers to set a course for your business 

- Is a CFO right for you? 

- Rapid fire questions 

Visit buildyournumbers.com to discover Diane’s CFO services and see if they are right for your business. Plus, check out free webinars, articles, and resources to better grasp your business finances. 

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“Buyers don’t want to get pitched. They want to know they can trust you. They want to know that you understand what’s going on in their environment. They want to know that you actually can solve their thing, and they don’t want to make a mistake.” 

Chris Duprey, Chief Customer Officer at Impact 

Vulnerability and transparency are hard traits to display for all of us, much less a for-profit business. We typically sell our strengths and explain away our weaknesses, avoiding objections like the plague. Tough customer questions create awkward situations, even as salespeople miss the point of selling. 

Chris Duprey of IMPACT enthusiastically proposes a buyer-centric vision for sales. Why not meet objections head-on? Why not get ahead of the curve on price, quality, and common objections? Buyers ruthlessly research products and services ahead of time, and they should. We all want to make the right investment of time, money, and convenience. 

In this episode, Chris introduces a concept, They Ask You Answer, and dives into his journey to today as he leads IMPACT’s business coaching division.  

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- What does IMPACT do, and how did it start? 

- How does They Ask You Answer apply to contractors? 

- Which roles does Chris play at IMPACT? 

- How does IMPACT differ from a traditional inbound marketing agency? 

- The journey from Army officer to executive 

- The benefits of meditation 

- Challenging existing thinking for greater success 

- The power of knowing your market 

- The evolution of buying behavior 

- Positioning yourself as the expert 

- Answering the hard questions as a business 

- Transparency with customers 

- Buyer-centric sales 

- Rapid fire questions 

For a check-up on your sales team, send a blank email to [email protected]. Also, visit impactplus.com for assessments, information, and more on They Ask You Answer. 

For more Construction Disruption, listen on Apple Podcasts or YouTube

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“There are 10 billion face-to-face conversations in a commercial capacity between consumers and sales and service marketing people every single month. And I said, what if we could take all those conversations and make the offline world, the commercial world, as searchable and easy to analyze and understand as Google did for the Web?” 

Sebastian Jimenez, Founder of Rillavoice 

Sales is a simple profession on the surface; a salesperson touts a product’s or solution’s features and benefits to a customer. The sales conversation does much of the heavy lifting, explaining the competitive advantage, company story, and list of benefits in detail. Training people to perform this successfully takes extensive time and effort, a limiting factor for growth. 

However, Sebastian Jimenez felt that AI’s growing capability could speed this process up by harnessing thousands and even millions of sales conversations. Now, sales trainers can gain insight from the most successful salespeople across the country and share it with their own people. 

Listen in as Sebastian details the origin of Rillavoice, the power of AI for sales, and even his prediction for the next step for sales technology. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- Sebastian’s start 

- Taking advantage of under-utilized data 

- Using AI to improve sales conversations 

- Putting sales managers courtside 

- How does Rillavoice work? 

- How do different audiences react to it? 

- AI understanding for sales insights 

- Company culture above everything 

- The biggest disruption in coming years 

- Home improvement is the technology frontier 

- Rapid fire questions 

To transform your sales efforts, visit rillavoice.com to schedule a demo for your team. 

For more Construction Disruption, listen on Apple Podcasts or YouTube

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“I’ve borrowed money from private guys, traditional guys, and hard money guys. You know, I’ve never had a loan managed this way. And as a builder, once I get over the fact you’re not just giving me the money and I get to do whatever I want to with it, this is a way to totally change the residential lending industry.” 

Brad David, Executive Vice President of Development/Construction at Snap.Build 

The rapidly advancing pace of technology affects all areas of our lives, and the construction industry isn’t exempt. Brad David from Snap.Build joins us for an inside look into the future of residential construction lending, now powered by technology. 

Building techniques continue to change, so why shouldn’t lending too? By making every penny accountable to builders and lenders, this new system ensures trust and efficiency on a bigger scale. Snap.Build enables homebuilders to take their operations to the next level, a partner and guide on the way to growing their business. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- The origins of Snap.Build 

- How do you get capital from Snap.Build? 

- Are there any new requirements to be eligible? 

- How can easier access to funds alleviate the affordable housing crisis? 

- Financial vs. technical, which makes Snap.Build tick? 

- Who’s behind the money? 

- Examples of Snap.Build in action 

- The process of finding new builders to use Snap.Build 

- What’s the onboarding like? 

- What does the future hold? 

- Rapid fire questions 

 For more information on a new way to find residential construction funding, visit snap.build.  

https://www.linkedin.com/company/snapbuild/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070444736734

https://www.instagram.com/snap.build/

https://twitter.com/snapbuildloans

For more Construction Disruption, listen on Apple Podcasts or YouTube

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“Roofers protect everything you hold dear. It deserves respect and we have to start standing up and saying we are not just roofers. I deserve a professional credential that shows I am awesome and deserve to be hired.” 

Jared Ribble, Vice President of Certification for NRCA and Director of the Qualified Trainer Program 

A roof is an essential part of every home. Sure, the walls keep the house together, and the floor keeps us off the dirt, but the roof protects us from rain, storms, and hail. Without roofing and the roofers who install it across the country, our world would be much less bearable. So why, then, is roofing not a respected job? 

The National Roofing Contractors Association, or NRCA, believes that roofers do irreplaceable work, protecting our homes and businesses with skill and hard work. This effort shouldn’t go unrecognized or uncredentialed. To this end, they developed ProCertification, and Vice President of Certification for NRCA Jared Ribble shares their mindset behind the creation. 

Tune in for insight on why roofing matters, how we can instill meaning into roofing careers, and why anyone involved in roofing should reach out to NRCA and consider ProCertification. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- Passing up the family roofing business 

- Returning to roofing after some inspiration 

- NRCA’s approach to the worker shortage 

- Omitting roofing from trade schools and why it’s a problem 

- Contractors should invest in teaching in trade schools 

- Certification addresses a growing need 

- What is ProCertification? 

- Which materials are available to be certified in? 

- How has ProCertification affected people? 

- What about liability? 

- Adapting ProCertification regionally 

- The Qualified Trainer program 

- An inside look at the Stories of an Extraordinary Industry podcast 

- What sparked Jared’s passion for roofing? 

- Why does roofing matter? 

- Rapid fire questions 

If you are interested in ProCertification, or are a roofer yourself, visit nrca.net to learn more. Also, check out Stories of an Extraordinary Industry for an inside look at the people and accomplishments of roofing.  

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“Wool is just an awesome fiber, and we’re proud to work with it here in our facility, and we’re even more proud when we get it out to people and let them experience it. It’s rewarding to help people understand there are better ways to do things. And, you know, the built environment is changing rapidly, and that’s a motivating factor for us on top of the products that we make.” 

Andrew Legge, Founder & Managing Partner at Havelock Wool 

While the building industry constantly experiences change and innovation, most of these solutions leverage cutting-edge technology. Havelock Wool diverged from the norm with their wool insulation, using a centuries-old product to bring superior performance to homeowners globally. 

Andrew Legge shares insight into the science behind wool insulation, its many benefits, and the ultimate goal of Havelock Wool. Tune in for a discussion on wool vs. typical materials, the challenges of a direct-to-consumer business, and breaking into an established market. 

Can a natural fiber like wool really compete with synthetic fiber? Find out in this episode highlighting another disruptive product. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- A brief history of wool insulation 

- Why did Andrew start Havelock Wool? 

- What’s unique about wool that makes it great insulation? 

- The signature benefits of wool fiber 

- Wool and indoor air quality 

- Challenges as a direct-to-consumer product 

- Wool insulation and chemical sensitivities 

- Batt vs. blown wool 

- Growing customer awareness 

- Being in business to make an impact 

- How many sheep supply insulation worldwide? 

- Sustainability is the future, and wool plays a part 

- Rapid fire questions 

To learn more about the incredible properties of wool insulation and find out if it’s right for your project, visit havelockwool.com.  

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.

“Cash is the north star of your business. You can have all the profit in the world, but if you’re not converting that profit to cash, your business is going to nosedive quickly. You cannot stay in business if you don’t have cash. You can stay in business if you don’t have a profit.” 

Shelby Ashley, Founder/CEO at Optimized Financial Solutions 

In the world of finance, while profit often grabs attention, the old adage is ‘cash is king.’ Businesses that struggle to turn a profit, especially early in their lifespan, can survive just fine with enough cash on hand.   

Shelby Ashley of Optimized Financial Solutions was inspired by the opportunity to empower financially floundering businesses and provide vital knowledge to those who need it most. By tackling the complex side of finances, she gives her clients a new understanding of their accounts and profits, building a monthly plan with achievable goals. 

Listen in as Shelby explains the power of a fractional CFO and what it can do for your business. 

Topics discussed in this interview: 

- Todd shares a game-changing product 

- What inspired Shelby’s career choice? 

- Which industries does Shelby serve, and what does she offer? 

- Construction businesses and money management 

- Remote CFO services 

- The difficulty of admitting money problems 

- Bridging the gap between stagnation and success 

- Which key metrics should you track? 

- How did COVID affect money management? 

- Profit First, and the next step 

- Cash or profit? 

- Shelby’s breakdown on cost estimating 

- What to look for in a fractional CFO 

- A transformational client story 

- Rapid fire questions 

To see if Shelby’s CFO services are right for you and your business, email her or visit her site and book a free consultation. 

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This episode was produced by Isaiah Industries, Inc.